Week 8 of College Football

1. LSU is loaded, and corrupt.  3 players fail a drug test and we are expected to believe that it's a coincidence that they will back, just in time, to play Alabama?  Now, don't get me wrong, I want to see this game with both teams at full strength so I can see these 2 defense shred two very flawed offenses, but that's one hell of a coincidence.

2. I might be a bit down on the Stoops defense, so I will admit that biased.  That said, it was amazing to see what the Wildcats did when they were put into an aggressive alignment and told to make plays.  That soft, complicated zone crap that they like to run just doesn't fit at the college game, if anywhere. 

Arizona just showed what it can do without it, and Florida State's defensive struggles show it every week.

3. I remember the talk last year before the Pinstripe Bowl about how K-State and Syracuse didn't deserve to be in a bowl game.  You know, right before they went out and played one of the best games of the year showcasing both team's future NFL running backs and solid defenses and a sheet of ice.  Yeah, that's the game.

Well, turns out that those bowl people knew what they were doing.  The Wildcats and the Orange are on their way up in a big way.

4. The fans in Oxford Mississippi have got to be sick.  Their team dominated the first half against the favored Razorbacks.  They played tough defense, found a balanced offense, and went in with all the momentum and a lead.  and then didn't score again till garbage time.  Atta way to be scared to lose guys.

5. Strangest score of the day......Oregon 45, Colorado 2.  The spread is not a surprise, the Ducks holding down a putrid Colorado offense is not a surprise.  The surprise is how a team that dominated the score board could let themselves give up a safety.  Man, that Duck defense has got to be pissed to lose a shutout on a safety. 

Cliff Harris is such a knucklehead.

6. One thing I can't figure out.  Why does the Florida State DEFENSE play better when EJ Manuel is on the field.  Tricket put the same or better stats, but the defense would give 30 and 40 points.  They face a team with a high powered offense, with Manuel back, and they shut them down.  Really weird stuff.  Oh, and the Noles still haven't beaten anyone with a winning record.

For numbers
With Manuel Starting 65pt/5games = 13 points per
Without Manuel Starting 70pt/2games = 35 points per

I know you have Clemson in there for one of those, but Maryland and OU are both comparable offenses to Clemson.

7. I really just don't get Brian Kelly's struggles at Notre Dame.  He was a mastermind at Cincy, and has proven himself to be a great recruiter, but he just can't string wins together.  Course, Tommy Rees is no Matt Barkley either, which may have something to do with it....This time.

8. Well, the Sunflower Showdown was a dud.  Then again, it was exactly what we expected, and you just knew there was no way that Bill Snyder's team was going to come out flat and give their in-state rivals a chance in this one. 

Another fun stat...Collin Klein has his best yardage passing game of his career in this game, with 195 yard.  Think about that.  The star QB for a top 10 team has never passed for 200 yards.

9. OU scores 21 points in the 4th quarter, at home.  And loses.   Can anyone tell me the last time that happened?

10. Well, I promised you that the TRS rankings would make more sense as we got more games played, so here is the first update.

1. LSU Tigers (8-0) SEC - no change
2. Clemson Tigers (8-0) ACC -no change
3. Alabama Crimson Tide (8-0) SEC - +1
4. Oklahoma State Cowboys (7-0) Big 12 - +1
5. Boise State Broncos (7-0) MWC - +1
6. Kansas State Wildcats (7-0) Big 12 - +1
7. Virginia Tech Hokies (7-1) ACC - +5
8. Stanford Cardinal (7-0) Pac-12 - +3
9. Houston Cougars (7-0) C-USA - no change
10. Penn State Nittany Lions (7-1) Big 10 - +4
11. USC Trojans (6-1) Pac-12 - +4
12. Cincinnati BearCats (6-1) Big East - +11
13. Oklahoma Sooners (6-1) Big 12 - -10
14. Oregon Ducks (6-1) Pac-12 - +6
15. South Carolina Gamecocks (6-1) SEC - -5
16. Michigan State Spartans (6-1) Big 10 - from out of rankings
17. Wisconsin Badgers (6-1) Big 10 - -9
18. Arkansas Razorbacks (6-1) SEC - +4
19. Nebraska Cornhuskers (6-1) Big 10 - +2
20. Georgia Tech Yellowjackets (6-2) ACC - -7
21. Syracuse Orange (6-2) Big East - from out of rankings
22. Illinois Fighting Illini (6-2) Big 10 - -4
23. BYU Cougars (6-2) Independent - from out of rankings
24. SMU Mustangs (5-2) C-USA - -8
25. Arizona State Sun Devils (5-2) Pac-12 - +3
26. Auburn Tigers (5-3) SEC - -9
27. Michigan Wolverines (6-1) Big 10 - -8
28. Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles (6-1) C-USA - from out of rankings
29. Texas Tech Red Raiders (5-2) Big 12 - from out of rankings
30. Iowa Hawkeyes (5-2) Big 10 - from out of rankings

SEC: 5
BIG 10: 7
PAC-12: 4
BIG 12: 4
ACC: 3
BIG EAST: 2
C-USA: 3
MWC: 1
Independent: 1

Now, before you Big 10 people get too excited about leading the pack, it's important to recognize that you have noone higher than 10 and that is your only team in the top 15.  The big 10 looks to be the results of parity allows teams to hold onto decent records.  Contrast this with the SEC and Big 12 which have teams at the top which have been choking the life out of people, and you have the disparity explained.

11. I needed one more to WISCONSIN choked.  They put up 14 in just minute to start the game, looked dominant at the end....and lost?  They are the best team in the Big 10....but that's the thing about looking good on paper.  HEIMLICH AT TABLE 6!!!!